


someone tell me something comforting

by tikii



Category: Cytus (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, Cytus 3.0 Spoilers, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:01:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24831265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tikii/pseuds/tikii
Summary: In which Ivy and Vanessa experience———cytus 3.0 spoilers !!
Relationships: Ivy | OPCI_2501_IV/Vanessa | OPCI_2501_V
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	1. emotion

**Author's Note:**

> In that sense, Vanessa had a slight advantage over her. She understood emotions a little more after being exposed to them constantly, and even before the whole Incident, Vanessa had always been hypersensitive to them. Vanessa always knew what to say, how to say it, and what she was feeling. 
> 
> …yet, Ivy couldn’t find the words she needed. 
> 
> ————-  
> ivynessa week day one ; emotion

Ivy was never really good with words or emotions - despite having been in the human world for a couple of years now, she felt as if she had experienced more… negative emotions from the human world. She had been upset, scared, angry - the only positive emotion that she remembered feeling was relief when she managed to wake Vanessa up, but even that was short lived. 

Ivy was still learning. She was still learning, growing, and figuring out how to sort through her emotions. 

In that sense, Vanessa had a slight advantage over her. She understood emotions a little more after being exposed to them constantly, and even before the whole Incident, Vanessa had always been hypersensitive to them. Vanessa always knew what to say, how to say it, and what she was feeling. 

…yet, Ivy couldn’t find the words she needed. 

Vanessa usually showed her emotions and affection in actions - clapping her hands when she was excited, twirling her hair around her finger when she was nervous, curling her hands to her chest when she was upset; Vanessa had so many signs that showed her emotions, and Ivy was -

A blank slate.

(...she believed that was how the expression went.)

Well, she wasn’t a completely blank slate - she was learning how to emote and express herself a little more everyday, picking up small habits like tugging at the corner of her hood when she felt… nervous. It seemed as if every human had some kind of habit, and the fact that Ivy was beginning to develop some showed that she was beginning to grow more and more human everyday. She would be able to blend in more. 

Emotions was only one piece of the problem for Ivy - finding the right words to use in different situations was hard too, and that was exactly where her main problem was.

According to Ivy’s research and databases, there were approximately over 2,360,417 words in the human language, including over the span of multiple human languages- 

Yet, Ivy could not find the words to express how much Vanessa meant to her. She could not find the words to express her… admiration for Vanessa. 

After all that Ivy went through, she thought and thought about what she was going to say to Vanessa when she first saw her, when they first began to live with humans, when they first began to move forward-

And yet, now that it was actually happening, Ivy couldn’t find the words. Ivy didn’t know what to say when Vanessa asked her how she felt about the human world, she didn’t know what to say when Vanessa asked her if she missed her and Ivy wanted to yell  _ yes, yes I missed you, you can’t even imagine how much I missed you- _

But all she could muster was a small smile and an, “of course I did, Vanessa,” and she tried to put as much emotion behind it as she could, and by the beam on Vanessa’s face she guessed she managed well-

But it wasn’t enough for Ivy. She had been in the human world for a  _ while  _ \- she should know how to put her emotions into words.

...but she… she knew how to put her emotions into music - she knew how to  _ transform  _ her emotions into music.

And maybe… just maybe… she could make a song for Vanessa. A song that properly expressed her emotions towards Vanessa.

It’s what Vanessa deserved.

...and hopefully Vanessa would get the emotion behind it.

So, at night, as Vanessa slept, Ivy hooked herself up and began to generate her own music, letting herself… feel what she had been feeling for the past couple of weeks.

At first she was… confused. A little scared, if she was being honest. She didn’t know how Vanessa would react to humans, she didn’t know how they would blend in - but then things became… better. Ivy felt relieved. And then more positive emotions began to flood in, like happiness and excitement and amazement. Ivy didn’t know how to handle them at first, but she was learning. She was learning with Vanessa at her side. 

Ivy was… happy that Vanessa was here.

There was a certain warmth that filled her whenever she thought about Vanessa. She wasn’t sure what it was or how to name it, but it was  _ warm  _ and it felt  _ positive.  _

By the end of the night, Ivy unhooked herself and finished her song, deciding to sit by the window and watch the sunrise before Vanessa woke up. 

Now, Ivy had no idea how to present it to Vanessa. She couldn’t just shove it at her and run away…

Or…

Ivy tiptoed into the room Vanessa was sleeping in and made sure that Vanessa’s phone was on her nightstand. Then, Ivy slowly walked out and sent the song to Vanessa via text, so that when Vanessa opened her phone, it would be the first thing she saw.

_ For V. _

...Ivy really hoped this worked. 

It seemed like forever, but Ivy finally heard shuffling and rustling from Vanessa’s room. She held her breath, and three minutes later, she could hear music coming from Vanessa’s room.

Ivy suddenly felt embarrassed.

She stood up quickly and ran to the kitchen, getting herself a glass of water to look more casual. She took small, slow sips and fidgeting with the sleeve of her hood until she heard the door click.

Ivy suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting Vanessa’s.

Vanessa was  _ beaming. _

“You made this?” Vanessa pointed at her phone with a grin. 

“...yeah. It’s… it’s for you.” Ivy admitted quietly, blinking when Vanessa let out a small squeal. And then Vanessa was hugging her suddenly.

“Thank you! It was beautiful.” Vanessa exclaimed, pulling away to look Ivy in the eyes. “I could… I could hear the emotion behind it.”

Ivy felt like a huge weight was lifted off of her chest.

“...I’m glad you liked it.” Ivy said with a small smile. “And… I’m glad you could hear the emotion in it. I think… that was what I was going for.”

“Oh, and you went for it! It was really nice.” Vanessa hummed in agreement.

...Ivy’s plan was a surprising success. 

Maybe… just maybe… she found a new way to express her emotions properly.


	2. voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She laid there, still for a couple of moments, waiting to see if Ivy would move again.
> 
> ...she didn’t.
> 
> ...what did Vanessa expect?  
> ————  
> ivynessa week say two ; voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAJOR 3.0 SPOILERS !!!!

_ 167 years, 4 hours, 7 minutes and 24 seconds. _

That’s how long it had been since Vanessa activated the weather system and wiped out humanity completely. 

That’s how long it had been since Vanessa was laying down on the floor of the library, looking at Ivy-

Ivy, who was motionless, lifeless, and  _ still. _

_ Too still. _

Ivy was always so full of life - of energy, of curiosity, and  _ amazement. _ Ivy was always brimming with life itself - there was life in her hands, life in her eyes, life in her chest - life in the flower that she placed in Vanessa’s hair-

But now, there was no life in Ivy. 

Her life had been snuffed out with the click of a trigger and the shattering of metal. Her life had ended so unnecessarily.

...if Ivy had survived, maybe this wouldn’t be happening. Maybe they would have been walking with the humans, living together, living the lives they’ve always wanted to. If Ivy had survived, there would still be humans walking the earth. 

Instead, Vanessa had to stare into Ivy’s lifeless, dull eyes for  _ days  _ before deciding that she had had enough and closing them, growing tired of staring at them. When she woke up, she was expecting to look into Ivy’s bright, red eyes - she was expecting to be pulled to freedom. 

She wasn’t expecting to be laying still in a broken world in a broken room, staring at the broken body of the person she cared about the most. 

Every couple of days or so, Vanessa would reach out and touch Ivy - caressing her cheek, grabbing onto her hand, putting her hand on her forehead - hoping that something would happen.  _ Hoping  _ that Ivy would manage to wake up. 

But no. Ivy was gone - Ivy had slipped through her fingers.

And as a result, Vanessa crushed humanity with those same fingers. 

...but… was it worth it?

Was it worth continuing to live if she couldn’t have Ivy?

“...Ivy?” Vanessa found herself speaking one day, reaching out to take Ivy’s hand in her’s. “Can you… can you hear me?”

_ Of course she can’t. She hasn’t been able to hear you for hundreds of years.  _

“You have to.” Vanessa continued almost hysterically. “You can’t just… give up. You haven’t given up for years. You have to… you have to…” 

She was already crying. 

“You have to  _ wake up. _ ”

Ivy didn’t move. 

Ivy couldn’t hear her.

“Wake up. Wake up!” Vanessa cried, squeezing Ivy’s hand. For a second, she thought that Ivy moved. For a second, she thought that Ivy was squeezing her hand back. She let out a small gasp, her eyes widening. She laid there, still for a couple of moments, waiting to see if Ivy would move again.

...she didn’t.

...what did Vanessa expect?

With a small sob, Vanessa reached forward and cleared some vines and greenery from Ivy’s hair, tears dripping down her cheeks and onto the floor. 

She simply laid there and cried, her hand remained slotted in Ivy’s, choked sobs leaving her when she realized how  _ slack  _ Ivy’s fingers were. 

Ivy was  _ lifeless.  _

“Ivy.  _ Ivy. _ ” Vanessa sobbed. “Please…  _ please!”  _

Nothing. 

Nothing at all. 

...Vanessa’s voice wasn’t reaching her.

Ivy couldn’t hear her. 

Ivy would  _ never  _ be able to hear her again.

And as Vanessa cried, curled on the ground, she wondered  _ why she was still alive. _

_ Why didn’t PAFF just kill her?  _

Every single human could be alive right now, and Vanessa would be with Ivy somewhere in a world where it was just the two of them with no one to bother them. No one would come between them.

Instead, Vanessa was resigned to sit on the broken ground in the a broken room in a broken city in a  _ broken world- _

_ Everything was broken. _

Vanessa let her eyes slip shut, the last of her tears dripping down her cheeks. 

And so, time passed-

Without Ivy. 


	3. nature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe… just maybe… Vanessa could find the garden in which their relationship was established. Maybe she could find the garden and… and they could revisit the happy memories they had from Before.   
> ————-  
> ivynessa week day three ; nature

It had been a long time since Ivy had put the blue, beautiful flower in Vanessa’s hair - it had been over 500 years since then. 

Vanessa was never able to repay her for the kindness that Ivy had shown her - she never got the chance. Everything had been ripped away from them in an instant, leaving Ivy to fend for herself and Vanessa with voices in her head supplied by the OS space. It had taken  _ so much  _ for Ivy to get her back, and now that Vanessa was free and living among the humans, she was finally going to get the chance to. 

...she just didn’t know how. 

Maybe… just maybe… Vanessa could find the garden in which their relationship was established. Maybe she could find the garden and… and they could revisit the happy memories they had from Before. 

So, one day, Vanessa grabbed Ivy and they hopped on the nearest train to begin their adventure, trying to gauge which node their garden was and stopping at the train stop that felt right. 

At this point, they were just following their gut, going with whatever felt right and whatever direction felt right.

They ended up in an open field, flowers littered all over the field and petals flying through the wind. It wasn’t their garden - it wasn’t the garden that  _ they knew  _ \- but it was something. It was a start. 

They might as well just enjoy the beauty of this garden.

“Nature is so beautiful.” Vanessa said wistfully, taking a couple of steps forward. She was feeling  _ great  _ \- the sun was shining, the wind was blowing and she felt  _ happy.  _ “I wonder why humans don’t value it more…”

“I think they’re focused on expanding.” Ivy hummed in reply, opting to stay behind for a little. “And they move so fast… perhaps they don’t have enough time to enjoy the nature around them.”

“That’s sad.” Vanessa said with a small frown. “Their lives are so short… they should enjoy things while they can.” 

“Maybe they move fast because of their limited time.” Ivy moved up to stand side by side with Vanessa, tugging at the edge of her hood. “It’s just… how humans work.”

“...well… at least we can slow down and enjoy it.” Vanessa grabbed onto Ivy’s wrist. “Come on! Those flowers aren’t going to admire themselves.”

Ivy let out a small snort and allowed herself to be dragged across the field, stabilizing herself against Vanessa’s shoulder when they came to an abrupt stop. 

“Look! Aren’t those white red flowers beautiful? I wonder what they’re called…” Vanessa pointed towards a small patch of red flowers that were being mixed with white ones. Ivy blinked, analyzing them.

“...according to my databanks, those are called… the amaryllis flower.” Ivy replied. “They are associated with themes of… determination and beauty.” She paused for a moment, suddenly looking a little… bashful. “...and they are associated with love as well.” 

“Aw! I love that.” Vanessa cooed, grabbing onto Ivy’s arm. “That’s so cute…”

Ivy smiled, but offered nothing else, her eyes still fixated on the flowers. There was a certain… glow to her eyes that Vanessa hadn’t seen in a while. 

With a sudden idea, Vanessa let go of Ivy’s arm and padded over to the patch of flowers. She gently picked a flower from its stem and walked back to Ivy, who was staring at her with a little bit of an alarmed and confused expression.

“Wh-“

“Hold still.”

Ivy stiffened as Vanessa carefully and gently put the flower in Ivy’s hair, making sure it was stable before pulling away with a small smile. Ivy had a faint blush on her cheeks, her hand coming up to ghost the flower in her hair. “...I… what are you…?” 

“Placing a flower on your head,” Vanessa hummed, taking Ivy’s hands in her’s. “...take a look at your reflection in the water. It looks pretty, doesn’t it?”

Ivy’s face scrunched up in confusion for a moment, but then it  _ clicked  _ for her. 

...Vanessa was repeating what Ivy had said all those years ago.

Ivy squeezed Vanessa’s hands weakly, deciding to play along. “Yes… but… what is the meaning for this action?” 

“I don’t know… however, in the database, I saw humans doing this. Two people will look closely at each other… this should have some sort of important meaning, right?” Vanessa beamed. 

“...I wonder what the name of this flower is.” Ivy smiled almost goofily, causing Vanessa to let out a small giggle. She intertwined her fingers with Ivy’s, continuing to recite what Ivy had said to her. 

“Can’t analyze it. We are not inputted with knowledge regarding this field of study.” 

“...perhaps units that are related to gardening would know?” 

Vanessa shrugged and looked at the ground, her cheeks suddenly feeling hot. “Perhaps. But… but I don’t really want to interact with other units.”

“...why?”

“No particular reason. I have you!” Vanessa chirped, raising her gaze to meet Ivy’s eyes. “That’s plenty enough for me.” 

Ivy smiled gently and squeezed Vanessa’s hands again. “...it’s plenty enough for me, too.” 

Vanessa let go of Ivy’s hands and moved to her side, leaning against her shoulder. She smiled when Ivy wrapped her arm around her shoulder and looked out into the field of flowers laid out in front of them. “This may not be our garden, but…”

“It’s a garden. And it’s a start.” Ivy finished.

“We can make new memories here. Just the two of us.” Vanessa said happily.

“...I like the sound of that.” 


	4. rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ivy ducked her head and ran her hands over her face, inhaling shakily. Her clothes were beginning to cling to her skin and her hair was starting to stick to her face, small raindrops rolling down her face and dripping down her hood. 
> 
> Ivy was alone, standing in the middle of the road, letting the rain soak her.  
> —————  
> ivynessa week day four ; rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:3

The rain has always given Ivy… mixed feelings. 

At one point, Ivy was fascinated by it. Whenever it rained, she stood in it, her jacket getting all wet and causing her hair to stick to her face -

But it was  _ soothing.  _

The rain made soft noises that calmed Ivy - it allowed her to take a step back and take a breather - it allowed her to reflect on what she had been doing and what she was going to do.

And then, as she got used to the weather patterns, she realized that… the rain made her rather gloomy. It made her feel tired - weak, in a way. 

Whenever it rained, Ivy found herself looking at the grass or the plants on the balconies of some human’s apartment, watching as the flowers absorbed the water and… grew.

Things were always changing around her. Things were always growing. 

...and Ivy was stuck in the past, trying to reach for what once was.

But she kept on moving forward. Rain or shine, Ivy continued, developing her music and gathering human memories, finally putting them to use.

Time flew. 

And then, Vanessa was in Ivy’s arms again, alive and breathing, scarred but  _ okay.  _ Ivy finally had Vanessa back.

They were finally going to be together.

Months flew. They lived with humans in peace, blending in completely. They were able to experience emotions, opportunities, events - it was everything that they had ever wanted.

It was a perfect, peaceful world with humans.

…

...well, it wasn’t perfect, exactly.

They still dealt with their own ghosts - Vanessa was still ridding her mind of the voices, and Ivy was still learning to trust and let go of the loneliness that coiled around her.

…it still rained.

During the day, during the night, throughout the week - it seemed to be raining more. It brought Ivy’s mood down and made her chest feel heavy.

It reminded her of all of those days, sitting in an abandoned shelter, trying and hoping and trying to come up with some kind of plan to get Vanessa back, to free her-

And it was dark. It was… 2 in the morning, and Ivy was looking out the window, watching as the rain fell, disappearing on the pavement below.

...it was quiet.

Ivy wanted to rip her hair out. 

Suddenly, the room felt too small.

So, Ivy left the apartment quietly and found herself standing in the middle of the empty street, the rain pelting her cheeks as she looked up at the sky.

...it was quiet. 

It reminded Ivy of the day when she found out Vanessa was gone, locked in the library of ARC and supporting the cyTus system, leaving Ivy with the broken pieces of what once was -

Leaving her with the job of desperately trying to piece them together again, chasing the memories of the past. 

Ivy ducked her head and ran her hands over her face, inhaling shakily. Her clothes were beginning to cling to her skin and her hair was starting to stick to her face, small raindrops rolling down her face and dripping down her hood. 

Ivy was alone, standing in the middle of the road, letting the rain soak her.

...why had she even walked out? What was the point of this? 

The room had been too small.

But the world seemed too  _ big.  _

And Ivy was stuck. 

“...Ivy? What are you… what are you doing out here?” 

Ivy whirled around to see Vanessa, standing under the cover with a blanket curled around her shoulders. She looked… confused. Concerned. “Ivy? You’re getting soaked…”

Ivy couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She simply stood there, letting the rain roll off of her jacket and cheeks. They stared at each other for a while, the only noise filling in the silence being the soft pitter-patter of the rain against the pavement. 

“...Ivy? Please. Come back in?” Vanessa pleaded, holding out her hand. “O-our neighbors are going to think you’re weird.” Vanessa laughed almost nervously. “You never wanted that.” 

...she had a point. 

But Ivy was glued in place. 

Ivy raised her hand a little, then stopped, suddenly frozen. Her jacket was too heavy, the rain was beginning to get too loud-

And Vanessa was hugging her.

…

...what?

Oh. Vanessa was hugging her. 

…

“...you’re going to get wet.” Ivy murmured, hugging her back anyway.

“This was inevitable and you  _ know  _ that.” Vanessa said with a small snort. She pulled away, unwrapping her blanket from her shoulders and draping it over Ivy. “Let’s get inside, okay?” 

Ivy could do nothing but nod and let Vanessa drag her in. 

When Vanessa finally managed to drag her back into their apartment, she ran to the room to grab Ivy a spare change of clothes, which included a black hoodie and grey sweatpants.

“Aren’t you happy that I made you get these?” Vanessa teased. 

“...I guess.” Ivy huffed, slowly peeling her jacket off of her. She winced as the water in her jacket dripped onto the floor, looking up to give Vanessa an apologetic look. Vanessa shrugged and took her jacket, taking the rest of her clothes when Ivy was ready and ran to put them in their small dryer. 

“So… are you going to tell me what you were doing out there, standing in the rain at two in the morning?” Vanessa asked when she came back, sitting down next to Ivy on the couch. 

“...what were you doing  _ up  _ at two in the morning?”

“I asked you first…”

“...fine.” Ivy huffed. “If I’m being honest… I really don’t know.” Ivy slumped against the pillow with a frown. “I just… found myself out there. In the rain.” 

“...I guess standing in the rain can be calming.” Vanessa hummed, leaning on Ivy’s shoulder. “It’s just… I got worried when I walked out and didn’t see you.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Vanessa frowned. “I just… wanted to know if you were okay?” 

“...Yeah. I’m okay.” Ivy leaned her head to the side and rested her cheek on Vanessa’s head. “I’m fine.”

Vanessa made a skeptical noise, but said nothing, moving to wrap her arms around Ivy’s waist. 

Ivy didn’t know if it was because she had been standing out in the rain for a while, but she thought Vanessa was rather… warm. So, she curled closer to Vanessa, sinking into her hood for extra warmth, slowly wrapping her arms around Vanessa in return. 

It was still raining. She could still hear the pitter-patter of the rain against the windows, the could still hear the whistling of the wind- 

But the difference between then and now was that Ivy wasn’t alone. Vanessa was here, hugging her and giving her warmth. Vanessa was right next to her, and not in the library anymore. 

And Ivy wasn’t alone. 

Not anymore. 


	5. discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She had been waiting for this all her life - the time where her and Ivy could live with humans in harmony, building a better, more beautiful world with them. 
> 
> And everyday, there was something new.   
> —————-  
> ivynessa week day five ; discovery

Every day was a new discovery for Vanessa!

Every time she walked out of her apartment, there was a new word, a new voice, a new concept - everything was so  _ new  _ and  _ exciting _ , and Vanessa had been waiting for this all her life.

She had been waiting for this all her life - the time where her and Ivy could live with humans in harmony, building a better, more beautiful world with them. 

And everyday, there was something  _ new.  _

For example, Vanessa had just learned that  _ trees  _ give oxygen for humans to breathe. She hadn’t known that, even before the Decommission, because that wasn’t in her databanks and no one ever told her. But those big trees - the ones with the brown stumps and the green leaves that sometimes turned into the flowers - helped produce the oxygen for humans to breathe. Without trees, humans might not be able to breathe.

That was  _ baffling  _ to Vanessa. And it was exciting! The world was so  _ interesting _ .

A couple other of her discoveries were that colors had complimentary colors, there were  _ multiple  _ different ‘brands’ of cars, there were over 519,000 plant species in the world, and she was discovering new emotions every day. 

Speaking of which…

There was a weird emotion that Vanessa held in her chest whenever she was with Ivy, which was most of the day. Her stomach fluttered and her cheeks felt hot - her chest was heavy, yet warm at the same time, and she felt… nervous. All the time.

At first, she sought to look up these symptoms of her to see if the internet would help her, but she got back results like ‘heart attacks’ and ‘cardiovascular disease’, which didn’t really help because technically, Vanessa didn’t have a heart - metaphorically she did, literally she did not, so all of the results didn’t pertain to her. 

Obviously, Vanessa wasn’t sick - but there was definitely something wrong with her. 

So, she set out to find Aroma. If anyone would know what was going on and how to identify emotions, it would be Aroma. 

(It was nice how out of all the humans that Ivy had worked with, Aroma was the first one to reach out and actually get to know Vanessa. If Vanessa was going to be honest, she would say that out of all the humans, she was closest with Aroma.) 

She met up with Aroma at a small cafe in the middle of the city and at first they caught up, telling each other what they had been doing and how everything was going-

And then Vanessa decided to ask about what she had been feeling. The stomach fluttering, the hot cheeks, the heavy, yet warm chest, her nervousness - that all had to have a name, right? Humans had a name for everything!   
  


When Vanessa was done with her little ramble, Aroma’s expression softened and she smiled, reaching out and taking Vanessa’s hand in between her’s. 

“Love.” Aroma said quietly. “That’s love.”

“Love…? Is that a common thing?” Vanessa asked. 

“Yes… it’s normal.” Aroma nodded. “Do you want me to tell you what it is?”

“Yes, please.” 

Aroma twirled a strand of hair around her finger, seeming to struggle in finding the right words to use. “Um… well, love is when you care for someone a  _ lot.  _ But like… a lot a lot. And you want to be together with them forever and hug them… and you just have so much affection for them.” 

Vanessa felt heat coming back to her cheeks again, her eyes widening. Love…?

Love!

Even though she had never heard the word before, it… she felt like it  _ fit _ . 

“...I think that’s what I’m feeling.” Vanessa put a hand to her chest, her eyes widening. “Yeah! I…”

Aroma smiled teasingly, leaning on the table with her elbows. “...so… spill. Who is it?”

Vanessa squeaked and covered her face with her hands, peeking out a little when she heard Aroma giggling. “Do… do you really want to know?”

“If you want to tell me.” 

Vanessa let out a small huff, her hands falling from her face. “...Ivy.”

Aroma didn’t even act surprised - she simply nodded and grinned, her eyes shining. “I  _ knew  _ it!”

“You  _ what?!” _

“You look at her like… she’s your entire world.” 

Vanessa paused for a second, a sudden realization dawning on her.

“...that’s because she  _ is.” _

Aroma let out a small squeal. “That’s so cute!” She cooed, clasping her hands together and bringing them to her chest. “You really  _ do  _ love her!”

“Aromaaaa-“ Vanessa groaned, burying her face in her hands again. “It’s embarrassing…” 

“No, it’s not! It’s never embarrassing to love someone.” Aroma reached across the table and rubbed Vanessa’s arm. “Especially with everything you two have been through.”

“I’m afraid she doesn’t feel the same way.” Vanessa admitted quietly, her hands falling into her lap. “I’m afraid I am the only one who feels this way.”

“With the way she looks at you?” Aroma scoffed. “I’d say there’s a pretty good chance of her loving you back.” 

That was… the best thing that Vanessa could have heard.

That day, she had made a couple of discoveries. She discovered a new emotion, she discovered what that emotion meant-

And she discovered that maybe, just maybe, Ivy loved her back. 

She discovered that she had a  _ chance.  _

That was a big discovery. 


	6. reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Can you hear me…?”
> 
> “...Vanessa?”
> 
> …
> 
> “...No good?”   
> —————-  
> ivynessa week day six ; reach

“Can you hear me…?”

“...Vanessa?”

…

“...No good?” 

Vanessa was unmoving. Vanessa was unresponsive. 

Ivy was reaching out to her, hoping, begging, praying that she would wake up, that her eyes would open and then their eyes would meet and they would finally be reunited after years and years of loneliness and sleeping-

But no. Vanessa remained deep in slumber, not even moving a finger. 

...it had been like this the last couple of times Ivy tried to wake her up. Vanessa couldn't hear her, no matter how many times she reached out and hoped with everything she had left in her. 

This time, she thought she had it. This time, she thought that Vanessa would wake up, that she would finally be reunited with the only person who stood by her side all those years ago. The person she made a promise to. 

...she still got  _ nothing. _

Ivy didn’t know how long she could keep this whole Æsir thing up. She already had someone on her back, trying to reveal her as Æsir, and it was getting  _ risky.  _ She didn’t know how long she could drag this out to come up with  _ another  _ Æsir event, and even if she was able to drag it out, not enough people would attend. No one trusted Æsir anymore. 

...had she blown it?

For a second, there was heat behind her eyes, threatening to spill over. Ivy looked down, away from Vanessa’s figure, and ran her hands over her face, telling herself to  _ get a grip, what are you doing? _

She couldn’t give up now. Not now. Not  _ ever.  _ She was not giving up on Vanessa. 

She was stupid for even thinking about it for a second. 

Ivy wasn’t going to give up on Vanessa. Not after everything they had been through - not after the secret they’ve shared, the memories they’ve made - not after  _ everything  _ that had happened. 

Ivy had never given up before. Not when everyone was being Decommissioned, not when Ilka was trying to convince her to leave Vanessa behind, not when she woke up, confused and alone, left with the broken pieces of what had happened. 

And Ivy  _ definitely  _ wasn’t going to give up now. Not when she was so close. 

She could feel the weight of the memories she had collected. She could feel the power and energy it had, cracking and sizzling at her fingertips.

Ivy didn’t know how she was going to free Vanessa. She didn’t know where to go from here, what to do or what she was going to do.

All she knew is that she needed to take one step at a time. If fate was kind to her - if fate was going to make up for everything it had put her through - things would just fall into place. 

This was going to work. 

It  _ had  _ to work.

Before Ivy left the OS space, she reached out one more time, stretching her hand out to Vanessa. The motion was useless because she was so far away, but she felt if she did that, then maybe, just maybe, Vanessa would reach back. Maybe Vanessa would realize that Ivy was so  _ desperate  _ to see her eyes again, to see her mouth moving, to  _ see Vanessa again- _

“Vanessa!” Ivy yelled. “Vanessa!” 

…

Nothing.

Ivy didn’t know what she expected. 

With a shaky exhale, Ivy ran her fingers through her hair and turned around, beginning to disconnect herself from the OS system.

But, before she did so completely, she looked over her shoulder to take one last look at Vanessa for now. 

Vanessa looked… peaceful.

…

Ivy  _ wasn’t going to give up _ .

She was going to continue reaching and reaching until Vanessa was in her arms once more.

_ Wait for me, Vanessa.  _


	7. wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sun was rising.
> 
> ...since when had the sun been rising?  
> —————  
> ivynessa week day seven ; wind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter !!

The sun was rising.

...since when had the sun been rising?

Ivy rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up, her eyes flickering from side to side. She saw… a vast field of grass and flowers and thought ‘oh, right - Vanessa and I came to this garden last night and laid on the grass and-‘

…

Oh. They had both fallen asleep under the stars, holding hands. They had fallen asleep together, watching as the world turned and the sky moved slowly. They had fallen asleep in the garden that they discovered, the only sound filling in the silence being the ruffling of the leaves in the wind. 

...it was peaceful.

Ivy laid back down on the grass and rolled over onto her side, squeezing Vanessa’s hand gently. Her eyes remained on Vanessa sleeping figure for a couple of moments, trying to memorize every single little detail of her face, her hair, her hands- 

Vanessa looked so peaceful. 

Ivy smiled softly to herself, letting the wind ruffle her clothes and her hair. She still couldn’t believe that Vanessa was right in front of her, alive and awake, walking the earth with Ivy everyday, one step at a time. It seemed like just yesterday that Ivy was reaching out for Vanessa, calling to her to wake up. It seemed like just yesterday that Ivy was running from a group of humans, only to join them in the end and, with their help, free Vanessa from ARC.

It seemed like just yesterday that they were standing in a garden, in front of a pond, talking about humanity and mimicking human actions and words - the flower, the name-

How had time gone by so fast? 

Ivy ran her thumb over Vanessa’s knuckles and rolled over to her back, watching as the sky slowly began to turn from dark black to orange and pink, the stars slowly fading and the sun slowly coming up.

Moments later, Vanessa awoke, blinking the sleep from her eyes and curling a little closer to Ivy. Ivy smiled and kissed her on the forehead, watching as a soft blush covered Vanessa’s cheeks. “Good morning.”

“...g-good morning.” Vanessa stuttered out. “Did we… did we seriously fall asleep in the field?”

“From the looks of it.” Ivy slowly began to sit up, tugging Vanessa along with her. The wind blew again, a little more forceful this time, causing Ivy’s hood to fall over her eyes and Vanessa's hair to go all over the place. When the wind died down, Vanessa lifted Ivy’s hood from her face with a laugh, peppering Ivy’s cheeks in kisses. 

“There’s no other way I’d rather spend my morning.” Vanessa hummed, intertwining her fingers with Ivy’s. Ivy flushed, averting her gaze almost bashfully. 

“...me too.” 

“...the sunrise is pretty.” Vanessa leaned against Ivy’s side, facing towards the sun. Ivy’s eyes flickered over to the sky as the wind blew again, the sky turning all sorts of shades of orange, pink and red-

And then flower petals were flying all over the place.

Vanessa let out a gasp and sat up, her eyes twinkling as she watched white flower petals fly through the air, being carried by the wind. “Oh my goodness… Ivy, look!”

“I see.” Ivy smiled softly, reaching out and taking a petal into her hands. She curled her knees to her chest and watched Vanessa dance around in the field, trying to catch as many petals as she could.

Affection and warmth filled her chest as she realized that there was  _ truly  _ no other way Ivy would rather spend her morning. 

“Ivy! Get over here!” Vanessa called, her arms outstretched in Ivy’s direction. Ivy stood up and padded over to Vanessa, huffing out a laugh when Vanessa lunged forward and hugged Ivy. “Thanks for finally joining me.”

“I thought you were coming back.” Ivy defended herself lightly, flushing when Vanessa pecked her on the cheek.

“I guess I have to bribe you with hugs now.” Vanessa huffed. Ivy snorted and wrapped her arms loosely around Vanessa’s waist, her eyes trailing back to the petals dancing in the air and the sunrise. 

...it was almost fitting how quiet it was.

Ivy lowered them both back to the ground and allowed Vanessa to lean against her shoulder, a content sigh escaping her lips.

There was no other way she’d rather spend her  _ life _ . 

The fact that she was going to share the rest of her life with Vanessa brought Ivy… warmth and happiness. It brought her comfort and reassurance to know that she would never be alone again. 

Vanessa was right here, in her arms, not going anywhere.

And as the wind blew petals through the air and rustled the leaves, and as the sun rose, and as the world kept turning-

Ivy and Vanessa stayed together, not planning on letting go of each other anytime soon.


End file.
